


IRON KITTY

by lizrat66



Category: Iron Man (Movies), The Avengers (2012)
Genre: Cat Tony, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Pre-Slash, Tony Feels
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-28
Updated: 2013-06-07
Packaged: 2017-12-03 20:41:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 9,127
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/702425
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lizrat66/pseuds/lizrat66
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Being a cat is not all bad, especially when your secret crush has a thing for cats.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Whiskey and Whiskers

**Author's Note:**

> This is my attempt at a Cat Tony Story, as I have loved all the ones I have read on this site.

At the top of the list of things Tony hated was his father, next came magic and now Loki had made back into his top three. He had slipped down the list, since the failed world domination attempt due to the fact no one had seen or heard from him after he had completed his punishment on Asgard.

 

That was until he appeared on the top of the Avengers Tower, where unfortunately Tony was standing, glass of whiskey in hand enjoying a few moments of peace, before heading off to yet another Gala that Pepper insisted he attend.

 

“Stark, I had hoped to find Thor but you will do. In fact this could be of much greater amusement.”

 

With that said a bolt of green light arched from Loki’s hand to Tony’s arc reactor. Tony staggered back, whiskey glass crashing to the deck. A sharp pain flared in his chest and his world went black.

 

Tony’s gradual return to consciousness was marred by a pounding in head, the strong smell of whiskey and the fact that he was lying in what appeared to be a puddle said whiskey. Pepper was going to kill him, as he had promised not to have more than two glasses of alcohol a day when he had to attend to Stark Industry business. Since their breakup a few months back he tried hard to not upset her and to do everything possible to make her job as CEO easier.

 

Gathering his arms and legs underneath him, he attempted to push himself up from the deck only to find that his limbs had a mind of their own and he found himself once more face down in the puddle of whiskey. Lifting his hand to wipe his face he was confronted not by his usual scarred and calloused hand but a fluffy brown paw with small claws peeping out from the fur.


	2. Licking can be fun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony discovers a major advantage to being a cat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was difficult, not good at writing dialogue. Hopefully will get better with practice.

Tony closed his eyes and counted to ten opening them he looked down, but still two furry paws met his still startled gaze. Well shit this suck he thought, but looking on the bright side at least it got him out of going to that boring SI Gala.

 

Well time to try getting up again, I’m a genius walking on four legs instead of two can’t be that hard. Proving that even the great Tony Stark could on occasion get things wrong.

 

Just as he contemplated giving up, he was grabbed by the scruff of his neck and tossed onto the nearby sun lounger. Letting out a loud yowl as he flew through the air, he landed on all four paws and surprisingly managed to stay standing.

 

“As much as it amuses me to watch your pathetic attempts, I have more important things to do”. Loki snarked.

 

 

“What the hell are you playing at Loki, change me back now and I might not blast you skinny ass all the way back to Asgard”.

 

“I don’t think you have a kitty sized suit of armor to hand, or should I say paw Stark, so I’m not exactly quaking with fear over that threat”.

 

And with that he disappeared.

 

JARVIS! JARVIS! JARVIS! He shouted as loud as he could. Why the hell was he not answering? By now he should have alerted the other avengers about Loki’s appearance. He knew for a fact Steve and Bruce were in the tower.

 

Bloody magic, that’s why, he realised. Also JARVIS might be the most advanced A.I in the world but even he could not speak or translate cat. What he needed was Thor and his All Speak he could be his own personal Doctor Dolittle.

 

Without thought Tony began to lick his fur, it felt sticky and uncomfortable. His tongue rasped against something hard in the center of his chest, looking down Tony saw a familiar blue glow. He must be drunk if he had forgotten his arc reactor.

 

Tony carried on grooming his fur he felt that he should be more disgusted that he was licking his own body, he usually left that to his dates.

 

Suddenly he sat up a stunned thought reached the front of his mind, Oh my God! I could lick my own Balls!!!


	3. Claws and Suits

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Coulson finds Tony.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Would just like to thank all those who are reading this story and leaving kudos and hope that you will continue to enjoy it.
> 
> This is a longer chapter as the kids are home for the weekend so will not have much time to update.

Agent Coulson walked out onto the deck area at the top of Avengers Tower.  Pepper had called asking him to gather up Tony and escort him down to the waiting Limousine, unless the world was about to end he was not getting out of his responsibilities to SI, she had said.

 

Glancing round he could see no sign of Tony, just then his foot kicked something.  Looking down he spotted the crystal glass lying in a pool of spilt whiskey.  Becoming more concerned he paced round the area again, reaching for his phone to send an alert to any available Avenger to help search for the missing billionaire.

 

“Jarvis please increase the lighting in the decking area also can you tell me where Mr Stark is, I should have thought to ask you earlier”.

 

“My apologies Agent Coulson my systems have been offline for the past 30 minutes.  I have checked all security systems but cannot find Sir.  But there is also nothing to show that he has left the Tower”.

 

 “Is there any other way to trace him that you not tried?”

 

“There is one further one that I can initiate, Sir does not like it to be known as it could give his enemies an advantage. In this circumstance I think Sir would not mind my telling , he trusts you”.

 

“Thank you Jarvis, infuriating and difficult as Mr Stark is, I would not want anything to happen to him”.

 

“Starting a trace on Arc Reactor now, time taken will depend on distance.  This is most strange I am getting a power reading on the reactor and it from the area where you are standing Agent Coulson”.

 

Looking around again, now that the lights were brighter, he spotted a brown lump on one of the sun loungers.  Moving closer he realised it was a cat curled up asleep, a faint smell of whiskey emanating from its fur.  Sitting down on the lounger he reached out, he stroked his hand gently down the length of its back.

 

The fur was short and sleek, a warm chocolate colour, the long tail wrapped around its body tapered at the end.  Rather large ears and long whiskers twitched as he continued to stoke down the ridge of the cat’s backbone.

 

Suddenly the cat rolled onto its side, one front paw reached up to Agent Coulson’s hand as if to encourage more stroking.  Reaching down he started to run his fingers through the chest fur which was slightly thicker, it was then that he noticed the slight blue light, parting the fur hoping to God that he was wrong, his eyes came into contact with what looked like a miniature Arc Reactor embedded in its chest.

 

“For goodness sake Stark!  Why is it that the moment you are left on your own you immediately get into trouble? And it’s always weird, crazy take years off my life, stress inducing trouble!”

 

Tony was having a wonderful dream strong warm hands were running up and down his back, kneading away all the stress and tension.  His skin was tingling all over and a warm feeling was rising in the pit of his stomach, rolling onto his side, he reached his arm up to pull them down for a kiss. Next he knew fingers were trailing down his chest towards his reactor that would not do at all, nobody touched that, it was a definite No Go Area.

 

Lashing out he felt his nails dig into skin and cloth, twisting his body he tried to pull away but his hands seemed to be stuck he kicked out with his legs only to find they too became entangled.  He let out a shout of frustration but froze when high pitched screeching noise came from his mouth instead.

 

RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRrrrrrrooowwrrrrr !!!! RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRrrrrrrooowwrrrrr!!!

 

It all came flooding back to him, whiskey, Loki and bloody magic and being turned into a cat.

He looked up to find out who his assailant was and found himself gazing at the impassive face of Agent.

Shit! Shit! Shit! He was in so much trouble, he hoped that Agent liked cats and would not Taser his ass for ruining one of his suits.

 


	4. The Cats Whiskers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A trip to the lab, what kind of cat am I? Boxers or Briefs

Coulson was attempting to disentangle Tony’s claws from his suit jacket, but he would not stay still, constantly wriggling and trying to get away.

 

 “Tony come on this is stupid I’m trying to help you not hurt you. Calm down. Can you understand what I am saying? If so you need to stop moving, I do not want to risk one of your claws being broken”.

 

Suddenly the cat in his arms went limp. He quickly unhooked the remaining claws from his jacket and then wrapped Tony in the afghan that was folded on the end of the sun lounger.  Still gently petting Tony’s head he walked off the deck back into the penthouse lounge.

 

Truth be told, Tony was exhausted, he was cold and could feel his heart racing.  He just wanted to close his eyes and sleep and hopefully when he woke this would all be a bad dream just another nightmare to add to the collection.  Soothed by the petting and warmth of the blanket he drifted off to sleep.  The last thing he heard was Agent promising to look after him and keep him safe.

 

Ppppprrrrrrrrrr Ppppprrrrrrrr, Ppppprrrrrrrrrr Ppppprrrrrrrr well really, what more could he say, as that was the one thing in the world that Tony wanted more than anything else.

 

Laying Tony down in the corner of the sofa, he loosened the Afghan and placed a few cushions around him to stop him falling if he panicked again when he awoke.

 

Just then the elevator doors opened, Steve and Bruce rushed out heading towards the glass doors leading to the deck.  Steve with his shield in hand, Bruce with a green tinge to his skin.

 

“JARVIS have you located Tony yet, do you know what happened, where is Agent Coulson?” Steve fired off quickly looking up towards the ceiling as he ran.

 

“Captain Rogers, Sir has been located and is currently in the care of Agent Coulson.  You will find them both in the lounge area.”

 

Both turned and headed over to where they could now see Agent Coulson, who was staring down at the sofa.  Expecting to see Tony lying on the sofa they were both startled to see the small cat curled up in the corner.

 

“Where is Tony, I thought he had been found, when did Tony get a cat, come to think of it why would Tony have a cat. He can’t remember to feed or look after himself let alone another living thing.  Do you think it’s a present for Pepper perhaps he is trying to woo her back, but I thought he was…”

 

Coulson interrupted,

 

“Captain Rogers if you could just stop for one moment I will explain what has happened, you and Dr Banner need to try and be quiet so as not to startle Tony if he wakes up.”

 

Bruce who had been studying the small cat looked up at those words, he had a sneaking suspicion of what Agent Coulson was going to reveal.  And was proved right as Coulson explained what he had found whilst searching for Tony out on the roof.

 

“Well unless Tony is a secret shape shifter and forgot to mention it, I am assuming magic is the cause of his transformation, which then leads to the question of who and why?” said Bruce.

 

“There are a number of magic wielders that have come across Shield’s radar but I am going to venture that Loki is the culprit as he is the most powerful.  Thor will need to be contacted so that he can try to locate Loki.  If he cannot find him, he may have to go to Asgard to see if there is anyone who can reverse the spell.”

 

Steve said he would try to get hold of Thor, who was visiting Jane and Darcy in New Mexico.  He would also phone Pepper and let her know what had happened.

Bruce suggested to Coulson that it might be a good idea for him to examine Tony and run some tests to make sure he was healthy and that there was no problems with the Arc Reactor due to the transformation.

Coulson carried Tony down to the lab, staying close as Bruce examined him, drew some blood and x-rayed his chest.  At first they were surprised that Tony stayed asleep but on smelling the lingering scent of whiskey on his fur realised that he probably had a drink before he was changed and Coulson remembered the whiskey spilt on the deck.  Both concluded that he must have landed in it and being a cat had obviously groomed himself before falling asleep imbibing even more.

 

Typical Tony even as a cat he managed to get drunk, wonder if cats can get hangovers thought Bruce.  He smiled as Coulson carried Tony out of his lab, he had offered to keep an eye on Tony throughout the night as he would be awake whilst waiting for the results of the tests he had carried out.  But Coulson said it was too cold in the lab for the young cat and that he might wake for some food during the night.

 

Coulson seemed to be very knowledgeable about what kind of cat Tony was and what he would need.  Of course he was not just your average moggy, he was a Chocolate Burmese about ten months old which explained the overlarge ears and gangly legs as he had not quite grown into his body. The only odd thing about him was he had retained his brown eyes, whereas a true Burmese had yellow or golden eyes.

 

Tony slowly opened his eyes looked around and saw that he was curled up on a pillow in a bed that was not his, he felt movement coming from his left side he was definitely  not expecting to see a semi -naked Agent climbing into bed beside him.

 

Dam and blast he thought this was not the way he had envisaged ending up in Phil’s bed, still looking on the bright side at least he would find out if he was a boxers or briefs man, perhaps he would catch a glimpse of a naked Phil in the shower, now would’nt that be the cats whiskers!

 

MMMMMRRRROOOWWWW  MMMMMRRRROOWWWW.

 


	5. Random Thoughts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What it says in the title.

Bored, bored, bored, bored! soooooooooo bored, yep still bored, even more bored!!!

 

Where is Agent?

 

 Might as well go back to sleep, perhaps Agent will be back by the time I wake up again.

 

Hungry, hungry, hungry, hungry! Somebody needs to feed me right now!!!

 

Steve, there is no way Tony Stark is going to eat cat kibble!!!

 

Look in the fridge, there has got to be something better than this.

 

Agent would feed me only the finest fish and meat after all I am a billionaire pedigree cat!!!

 

Mmmmmmm, MMmmmmm, Mmmmmm, yummy chicken. 

 

Told you!  Agent knows how to look after me.

 

I am not going to chase a toy mouse! No, no, no, no, no, nooooooo!!!

 

Oh God there better not be any photographic evidence, it was the Catnip that made me do it!!!

 

Eeeeewww  that was gross, need to find a way to use the toilet, a litter box is so degrading I am not burying my own poo!!!!

 

Quick whilst he is emptying the litter tray, slurp, slurp, ooohh how I have missed you, I love coffee!!!

 

Agent, hurry up and come home, only you know how to properly scratch the itches I can’t reach.

 

Ppppprrrrrrrrrr Ppppprrrrrrrr Ppppprrrrrrrrrr Ppppprrrrrrrr managed to stay awake, Agent wears boxers!!!

 

 

 


	6. Swimming is not for cats

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony is sulking and manages to get into even more trouble.

 

Tony lay stretched out on the sun lounger, eyes half closed sleepily watching the sunlight sparkling on the pool water. He had managed to sneak outside whilst Steve was distracted by a call from Agent who had rung to inform them that Thor was on his way to Asgard  to try  and find a reversal spell, if that was not possible then he would ask Heimdall for help in trying to locate Loki.

 

 

If he was honest with himself, not something he like being as he hated dealing with emotions and feelings, he was sulking.  Tony had hoped Thor would come back to the tower first so they could use the All speak, he was fed up with not being able to talk or make himself understood, physically he  was a cat but his mind was still human even though the odd cat impulse snuck out at times. He had also wanted to let Thor know that Loki had really been looking for Thor.

 

“Tony! Tony! Where are you, come on its time for lunch, Bruce will be here with the results of the tests he ran on you."

 

 Tony had not finished sulking he leapt off the lounger and ran to hide under the rolled up pool cover. It was cool and dark under it, but he still had a good view of the glass doors to penthouse and the pool area.  He watched as Steve and then Bruce became more and more frantic as they searched first the lounge area and then the adjoining rooms.

 

“Steve, do you think he could have got out onto the roof?”

 

“I do not see how as I have been with him all morning.”

 

“Well we need to find him Phil will be here soon, he texted me to say that he wanted to be here to go over Tony’s test results and make sure he ate some food as Tony left most of the Tuna he had for breakfast .”

 

Steve thought it strange that Agent Coulson was spending so much time looking after Tony.  He could understand it was his job to supervise him as Iron Man and as an Avenger, but surely he must have, more important things to deal with at Shield than making sure Tony ate his lunch.

 

Bruce and Steve moved out onto the decking, Steve with his enhanced eye sight soon spotted the blue glow of the arc reactor from under the pool cover.

 

“Tony come on get out from under there, we’ve been searching all over for you.”

 

Kneeling down Steve peered at Tony who was crouched in the corner frustrated that even as a cat Tony did still did not listen to him Steve reach out to grab him.  Tony seeing his large hand reaching towards him lashed out with his front claws, whilst backing further under the pool cover, not realising how close to the edge of the pool he was getting.

 

Bruce who was standing the other side of roller saw Tony’s tail and back legs appear, he shouted out a warning but this just panicked Tony even more.  Suddenly Tony’s back legs went from out under him, he tried to find purchase with his front paws but the marble pool surround was too slippery.

 

 Tony let out a frantic yowl as he felt his body sliding off the edge of the pool into the water.  As the water closed over his head he looked upwards.

 

 Huh! I thought the sky was blue not green.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


	7. Swimming pools do not have plugs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Who will rescue Tony?

Tony continued to sink under the water no matter how much he frantically paddled his paws. Bloody hell! Why could Loki not have turned me into a dog.

 

“Iron Kitty no like water, Hulk pull plug on big bath!”  Hulk roared.

 

“No Hulk it’s a swimming pool not a bath it does not have a plug, I’m going to jump in and get Tony you need to calm down and let Bruce back out, Tony may need his medical help.”

 

“Hulk make plug hole, Hulk Smash!

 

“No Hulk! No smashing!”

 

Tony was vision was getting more and more blurry and the pressure on his lungs heavier but he could just make out Hulk and Steve standing at the edge of the pool. 

 

 Hello kind of drowning here might be a good time for a heroic rescue! I thought Captain America was supposed to rescue cats from trees or in my case hopefully the bottom of a swimming pool and help little old ladies across the road.

 

Just as he was starting to lose consciousness, he felt two hands grab hold of him pulling him close to a muscular chest. Tony and his rescuer were breaking the surface of the water a few seconds later.

 

He must have lost a few minutes because the next thing he knew he was wrapped in a warm fluffy towel, a strong but gentle hand rubbing his sides, drying his fur.  Tony lifted his head to find a very worried Agent looking down at him it was then that he noticed Agent was soaking wet, his white shirt, plastered to his body and water dripping from his face.

Tony lifted his paw and gently patted Agent’s cheek, looking into his eyes trying to show how thankful and happy he was that Agent had saved him.  Agent smiled lifted him up kissed the top of his head then hugged him close.

 

Ppppprrrrrrrrrr Ppppprrrrrrrr  Ppppprrrrrrrrrr Ppppprrrrrrrr  Wow! Agent kissed me he really must like me!  

 

Tony snuggled closer eyes closing he fell into an exhausted sleep.  He could rest safe in the knowledge that he had his very own superhero watching out for him.

 

Phil checked that Tony was fully asleep before he turned to glare at the two figures standing the other side of the coffee table.

 

“Would you gentlemen care to explain to me firstly, why Tony was out on the deck and secondly why you thought it was a good idea to leave Tony drowning whilst you discussed bath plugs!”

 

Steve blushed red and Bruce shuffled his feet whilst fiddling with his glasses, they felt as though they were in front of a stern headmaster.  Steve in true Captain America fashion tried to take all the blame but Bruce would not stand for that saying he should not have Hulked out, that he should have had better control.  Then causing even more embarrassment, he asked why they had not enlisted JARVIS’s help to find Tony as there were security cameras everywhere.

 

Eventually after much apologising they both left, Bruce offering to check Tony out later when he woke, Phil nodded agreement.

 

“Tony even as a cat you cannot help but get into trouble  and it not as though I can Taser you to keep you in one place at the moment.  I wonder what Super Nanny would do.”

 

 

 

 

 


	8. Thermometers and Salmon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony is depressed. Tony does not want to be left behind.

Tony really did not want to wake up if it meant moving from Phil’s arms.  He felt warm safe and cared for, something that had been sorely lacking in his life for a long time.  He snuggled closer resting his head on Phil’s chest, he had decided that since the kiss he would no longer call him Agent.  He was going to take every opportunity to stay close and soak up all the attention and he hoped affection Phil gave him.

 

“Tony come on you need to wake up I want to get Bruce to check you out to make sure there is no ill effects after your unplanned swim yesterday.”

 

Tony took his time stretching out all the kinks in his spine and smoothing down the odd tuft of fur, he still could not get used to the constant need to groom and keep himself clean. He could not imagine what his cat self would do after a few hours spent working in his lab.  Not that it would happen, the whole not having opposable thumbs was a real bummer.  He really missed his bots, loud music and working on his suits.

 

Tony slumped back down onto the bed, suddenly there seemed to be no point in moving as there was nothing he could do and nowhere outside he was allowed to go.  He burrowed back into the blankets curling his tail round to hide his face.

 

Phil looked down as Tony curled back up showing no intention of moving from the bed.  He was worried, physically Tony seemed fine but there was a dull sad look in his eyes now.  He scooped Tony up into his arms and carried him down to Bruce’s lab, perhaps Bruce would be able to cheer him up.

 

Tony suffered through the exam, he felt fine not that he could tell them that himself.  The only time he stirred was when Bruce appeared with a thermometer in his hand.  He sat up straight and made a show of extending his claws a low growl rumbling from his throat.  There was no way he was letting Bruce stick that thing in any part of his body.  Bruce seemed to get the message and put the thermometer back with the other medical equipment.

 

“Well there does not seem to be anything wrong, his lungs sound clear just keep an  ear out for any sound of wheezing or rattling in his chest.  We need to keep him mentally active as well as physically it must be driving him insane not being able to do anything, Pepper says that when Tony is bored or depressed that’s usually when he becomes really reckless and dangerous, not with others just himself.”

 

“Right Tony lets go get you some breakfast, there is a nice bit of salmon in the fridge with your name on it.  Steve went out especially to get it for you as he felt so bad about yesterday.”

 

Tony was determined not to eat the salmon but Steve’s puppy dog eyes and the enticing smell got the better of him and he was soon nose deep in the dish wolfing it down.  Just as he was licking his whiskers clean the Avengers assemble alarm rang out.

 

Steve ran to collect his shield Bruce and Phil rushed up to the helipad, where the quinjet would be arriving with Clint and Natasha on board.  In the rush to get ready no one remembered the small cat sitting on the kitchen counter.

 

Well this is just great, do they really think I am going to stay behind.  Tony jumped down and after them, he only had a few minutes to make his plan work he just hoped that Steve being the boy scout he was would not forget to pick up Buce’s Hulk out bag.

 

 

 

 


	9. Climbing Trees

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Climbing Trees and Doom Bots

 

Tony bolt into the changing room ahead of Steve and Bruce as Steve had gone to collect his shield from his room and Bruce just did not run as fast as Tony in his cat form.  The bag was on the floor by Steve’s locker, he managed to nudge the flap up and wriggle inside just as the others arrived.  He burrowed under the clothes and lay very still.  He just hoped that Steve would not notice that the bag was heavier than usual.

 

Sure enough after changing Steve reached down grabbed up the bag and ran out to waiting quinjet, tossing the bag onto the seat next to where Agent Coulson usually sat, he did not here the yowl of protest that came from the bag over the noise of the quinjet taking off.

 

Tony snapped his mouth closed and resisted the urge to jump out and claw Steve for the rough treatment but the sound of Phil’s voice moving closer reminded him of the need to stay hidden.  After all he would not be able to help if he was discovered.  Yet again his cat body decided since he was warm and safe it was time for sleep, he drifted off to sleep to the sounds of the other Avengers discussing the forthcoming mission and how to adapt their plan of attack now that they had no air support.

 

Doom Bots in Central Park how original thought Tony, who was currently hiding beneath a hotdog stand near the command post that Shield had set up.  It had not taken much to sneak free and hide, the Hulk out bag was always left by the door of the mobile command centre ready for Agent Coulson to take it to Bruce after he had changed back.

 

The other Avengers were already battling the Doom Bots with some success but more kept appearing, Cap’s shield was cutting them off at the knee joint whilst Widow flipped up on to the back of the bots to slice the wiring at their necks.  Hawkeye’s exploding arrows were meeting their target every time but he would soon run out and Hulk was smashing away, parts of Doom Bots flying through the air.

 

Tony knew that he had to find the Controlling Bot once that was destroyed all the others would cease.  Decision made he darted out from under the hotdog stand regretting that he was not able to eat one and ran off through the trees heading towards the battle.  Dodging trees and leaping over bushes taking the odd tumble when his legs were going to fast in his eagerness to reach the other avengers, he soon arrived at the large open green where the fight was in full swing.

 

Tony realised straight away that he had a problem, from his position so low down on the ground he was unable to tell the difference between the Doom Bots as all their legs looked the same.  God this really sucks not being able to fly, I need to get higher up he thought.

 

Tony looked around trying figure out how to get off the ground, I so miss my armour if I’m going to be a cat for much longer I need to find some way of making kitty armour that’s if Phil ever lets me back into my workshop.  Feeling more and more frustrated he clawed at the nearest tree trunk over and over trying to release some of his frustration and anger.  Just then he heard a rustling in the branches above, looking up he saw a squirrel glaring down at him before leaping up to a higher branch disappearing amongst the leaves.

 

For a genius I am such an idiot cat he thought, crouching down he jumped up at the tree trunk digging in his claws then pushing against his back legs he scrambled up the trunk to the lowest branch.  Right got to keep the momentum going don’t think about it just do it, I’m a cat it should be natural. Not giving any more time to think he leapt up and continued higher and higher into the tree.

 

Soon Tony was high enough up that he could see the rounded bodies of the Doom Bots but he needed to get closer to study them to find the one different from all the others, if he was right there would be some kind of transmitter somewhere near the top.  He walked out along the branch whiskers twitching, tail straight out for added balance, the closer to he came to the end of the branch the lower he crouched hyper aware of the bowing of the ever thinning branch.  It was worth it though when he saw he had a clear view of the battle, concentrating on the Doom Bots he scanned each one as it neared his hiding place they were uniformly ugly and ungainly but their lasers were accurate and he could see the other four Avengers struggling to keep the upper hand.

 

Just as he was beginning to lose hope of spotting the controller Bot he saw one that was acting differently to the others, there were no lasers firing from the central eye and it was moving in a circular pattern round the edge of the park close to the tree line.  Tony calculated it would pass by his tree within the next 20 seconds and due to the fact he knew zilch about how far a cat could jump he was just going to have to take his life in his paws and make a leap of faith, after all he did have nine lives he hoped.

 

As the Doom Bot passed by his branch Tony leapt stretching his body and extending his front legs as far as possible in front aiming for the flat head of the Bot, landing with a thud he scrambled to find purchase on the slippery metal. Just as he felt his back legs sliding off he managed to hook his front claws into a thin crack in one of the metal seams across the head, painstakingly he pulled himself back up.  Ignoring the pain of his two broken claws he peered over the edge and sure enough there was the transmitter attached to front of the Doom Bot.  Now came the hard part how was he going to destroy it, there had to be a weakness he could exploit there was a reason even the Fantastic Four managed to beat Victor Von Doom.

 

 

 

 

 

 


	10. Behind Bars

Tony look down at the transmitter as the Doom Bot continued its circular pattern around the edge of the clearing, trying to balance his body against the lumbering movement of the Bot.  There had to be some weakness, time was running out.  Suddenly, the Doom Bot lurched to the side crashing against the trees Tony felt himself falling off the head and sliding down the front of the Bot he saw a flash of red white and blue spinning away.  The transmitter halted his fall, at least now I can have a closer look he thought.

 

Thankfully the Doom Bot was no longer moving, Cap’s shield having cracked the knee joint on one leg.  The fall against the tree appeared to have also knocked the transmitter casing loose.  The gap was just large enough for Tony to stick head through he could just make out the wiring and circuits that made up the internal workings of the transmitter. 

 

I could build this better drunk and in my sleep, now all I need to do is disrupt the circuit and that should be the end of it he thought. With a bit of wriggling and twisting he managed to get inside the Doom Bot ignoring the pain in his side from where he caught it on the sharp metal of the casing.  Hooking his claws around the first set wires he tugged on them until they parted from the circuit board, he continued with the remaining wires only stopping when the lights on the digital display went out.  Sitting amongst the wires he listened to the sounds of the other Doom Bots crashing to the ground.

 

Right time to move, need to get out of here don’t want to end up on the Doom Bot scrap heap, the only problem with that thought was his aching side and his poor abused claws just wanted him to stay put.  Struggling to his feet he forced himself back through the hole in transmitter casing and lay panting on the top.  Tony checked his broken claws there was not much he could do about them, the wound on his side thankfully did not look to deep, it was only oozing a small amount of blood and looked to be about an inch in length.  Cat instincts took over again and he started licking at the wound and surrounding fur, it was gross but he felt better when the cut and his fur were clear of blood.

 

Phil was watching the monitors in the mobile command centre, when the Doom Bots all collapsed he saw the looks of surprise on the faces of the Avengers.  There had to be an explanation for the collapse it just seemed to easy, this kind of technical failure usually only happened when Iron Man was around.  He felt a moment of unease there was no way it was possible for Tony to be here but then again the impossible happened a lot around Tony Stark.  Directing his team of agents to start getting the clear up operation underway he made his way through the trees to the clearing the Hulk out bag in his hand

 

After passing the bag off to a very naked Dr Banner, Phil looked around at all the fallen Doom Bots there was only one that was still standing looking as though it were leaning on a tree, there was something different about it so he started towards it the other avengers following. Up close he saw the device on the front of it a quick scan of the surrounding Bots showed it was the only one with it.  This was the Doom Bot that needed to be taken back to Shield for investigation.  Passing his instructions over his communicator to the other agents he was just about to turn away when he spotted movement on the Bot.

 

“Anthony Edward Stark! Get your furry butt down here right now! You are in so much trouble I just knew there was something not right with all this.”  Phil shouted.

Oh shit! He’s going to kill me, what am I going to do?  Need to get away, running is good, hiding is good!  Owwwwwwwwwwwww!  That hurts, need new plan,  Ok I can do this, it’s not that far down, slide, fall and hope Phil is not to mad to catch me.  Tony closed his eyes and eased himself over the side letting go gravity took effect and he felt himself sliding down faster and faster, a brief moment of weightlessness and then two firm hands were plucking him out of the air.

 

Tony was disorientated when he woke up the first time, everything was blurry and his head felt too heavy for the rest of his body, he drifted back off to sleep. When he next woke he could see he was back in his penthouse suite, huh I don’t remember there being bars on the windows going to have words with Pepper, no redesigning the interior anymore without my approval.

 

He stood up aware of the soreness in his right paw, something pulled on his side as he stretched, turning to look he let out yowl of shock when he was met with a patch of bare skin and a neat row of tiny stitches.  It all came flooding back, after Phil had caught him he had taken Tony back to the command centre, ordered another agent to find him the address of good vet and soon he had been whisked away in one of the black Shield SUVs. He could only guess at what had happened after the Vet and Phil had finally managed to get hold of him again after his escape attempt at the Vet’s Office.

 

Well time to face the music, he knew Phil was really angry with him he had not spoken at all in the car or at the Vets.  Better go find him perhaps he could play the sympathy card, who would be able to resist a poor injured kitty cat.  Tony limped forward but was bought to an abrupt stop when his nose hit the bars he had noticed earlier, it did not make any sense he was not at the window the sofa was still in front of him, turning round paced back the other way once again to be halted by thin metal bars.  Turning in a circle he quickly realised that he was surrounded on all sides and looking up he saw more bars.

 

Nooooooowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!  He could not believe it they had put him in a cage!

 

 

 

 


	11. Escape from the cage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony escapes and hides

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay in posting and this being so short, my oldest daughter was in hospital for a few days, but thought something was better than nothing.

e!

 

Chapter 11

 

Tony was beyond furious, how dare they treat him like this, putting him in a cage he was not an animal or a criminal!  He was a Hero he had saved them all from the Doom Bots and this is how they repaid him.  Yowling loudly he threw himself at the small door on the side of the cage but it did not move there was no way he was going to stay in that cage, to many bad memories of being held as a prisoner in Afghanistan were surfacing and added to that he was still mentally recovering from the swimming pool incident.

 

 It was all too much in such a short space of time, panic over took him and he could think of nothing but escaping, he continued to throw himself against the door heedless of the pain in his side and paw, there would be no stopping until he was free.   Just as he was beginning to think it was hopeless the latch on the cage door finally gave way, Tony nudged the door open and jumped out he still did not feel safe he needed to hide away, he could not risk them locking him in that horrid cage again he was so upset to think Phil and the other Avengers could do that to him.  He needed to get to his workshop it was where he felt safest.

 

Tony knew that he would not be able to get to his workshop the usual ways but a little bird had recently let slip of an alternative way to move around the tower.  Making his way to the top of the bookshelf he managed work his way under the loosened air vent and up into the ceiling.  In no time at all he was dropping down onto the ratty sofa in his workshop.  He had really missed being here with his just Jarvis and his bots, he needed to find a way to communicate with everyone especially since Thor was still out looking for Loki and no one knew how long it would take to find him.

 

I’m a genius I should be able to solve any problem even with a cat sized brain he thought. 

 

Finally all the mission reports were finished, now all he had to do was hand them off to Fury and he could get back to the tower to take care of Tony.  He was more upset than angry with Tony he could understand that he had wanted to help but Tony needed to be made to realise how much more dangerous it was for him now and how easily he could have been hurt worse than he was or even killed.  Dropping off the reports Phil headed down to the garage just as he got behind the wheel his phone rang, looking at it he saw that the caller was Steve Rogers, with a sense of foreboding he answered the call.

 

“Phil I’m really sorry but Tony has disappeared, we shut him in the cat crate but when we came back from lunch he was gone, we do not know how he managed to get it open.  I think he may have also pulled some of his stitches as there was some blood on the door”.

 

Phil took a deep breath and wondered what Fury would do to him if he were to taser an American Icon. 

 


	12. Puss In Boots

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony makes good use of his workshop.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay in posting, daughter was back in hospital again, excess fluid behind her eyes causing double vision and headaches, she had to have a lumbar puncture which was not nice for her as she hates needles, wicked mother that I am found it really interesting to watch. She is out now and getting better, less stressed now we have managed to get extentions on her university essays which were due in. Then my oldest son turned up on leave from the army, great to see him but loads of washing.
> 
> Finally managed to write a chapter tonight and promptly lost the whole thing when cutting and pasting it, must of hit delete by mistake was sure that I had saved it. Have managed to re do most of it so please enjoy, it is now 4am and I'm going to bed.

 

 

“Steve, Bruce you do realise that physically Tony might be a cat but intelligently and emotionally he still is human, would you like to explain who thought it would be a good idea to lock Tony in a cat crate and leave him alone to wake up hurt and disorientated, bearing in mind the last time this happened was in a cave in Afghanistan and we all know how he reacted to that event.

 

Steve was mortified at what they had done, he had read Tony’s file and he knew from his own experience of being frozen in the ice for 70 years that confined spaces were difficult to deal with again after such traumatic experiences.  Bruce also was upset and angry with himself, he had got caught up in the leaflets of aftercare from the Vet that he had also forgot that Tony would react as a human with bad memories of being locked up and not as a cat.

 

“Well the damage is done, we need to concentrate on finding Tony and making sure he has not made his injuries worse when escaping from the cat crate. I also need to ring Pepper and let her know what has happened she might have an idea of where he would go.”

 

Phil quickly got hold of Pepper who was in Europe attending meetings as CEO of Stark Industries.  She had been unable to return due to these commitments, needless to say she was not happy with Steve and Bruce and they were not looking forward to what would happen to them on her return as she was very protective of Tony even though they were no longer a couple.

 

“I would suggest that you check his workshop as that is where he normally would go if angry upset or feeling threatened, it’s where he feels safest.  He would have found some way of getting in if he really wanted to.  Jarvis will override the entry code to let you in, please let me know as soon as you find him, now I really must get back to my board meeting.”

 

 

Phil contacted Clint and Natasha and they arranged to meet at the door to Tony’s workshop. Once they were all there Phil asked Jarvis to unlock the door, his request was met with silence the door remained locked and the glass wall dark.

 

Tony had heard them coming down the stairs to the workshop and had managed to type in the codes to mute Jarvis and lockdown the workshop using the large holographic keyboard he had created once he had been able to communicate with Jarvis through the Stark pad.  It was tiring as he had to run up and down hitting the keys with his good paw whilst trying to keep his balance on his injured paw.  Still it was better than using his nose which he had to do when first using the Stark Pad.

 

After some trial and error he had been able to communicate with Jarvis and the Bots and his design idea had taken shape and he was waiting for the fabrication process to complete.  It was at this stage that he had heard the others nearing the workshop.m

 

The fabrication unit chimed signalling that end of the process, Dummy picked up the completed parts and rolled over with them to the work bench where Tony was sitting waiting.  Quickly Tony put them on only pausing to unmute Jarvis and give him the command controls.

 

Just as Clint was about to climb up into the air vents, the glass wall turned opaque and the door to the work shop slid back.

 

Jarvis’s voice was cold and remote as he spoke.

 

“Before you enter I must inform you that Sir’s safety is my first priority and any attempt to hurt him or remove or restrain him against his wishes will be met with hostile force.”

 

Phil entered the workshop first after assuring Jarvis that his main concern was also Tony’s safety and that he wanted to make sure he was not hurt and to get him to eat some food.  The gathered near one of the work benches, looking around they could see no sign of Tony.  

 

“Tony please come out I am so sorry that I was not here earlier I would never have let them lock you up, I care about you too much to want anything bad to happen to you.”

 

Suddenly from the dark corner of the workshop something flew towards them, automatically they dropped to the ground Phil, Clint and Natasha drawing their weapons, before they could shoot Dummy rolled forward fire extinquisher in his claw and sprayed them with foam.

 

Suddenly Clint fell on to his back among the foam laughing the others looked at him as though he was insane which made him laugh even more.  Point upwards he managed to gasp out,

 

“LOOK PUSS IN REPULSOR BOOTS!”

 

MMMMMRRRROOOWWWW 


	13. Kitty Tag

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Games in the Helicarrier

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay in posting, my daughter is better now and the Easter Holidays have finished so the rest of the kids are back at school. Now I just have to get through the next two weeks of build up to my other daughter's prom.

 

 

Phil had finally persuaded Tony to come down from where he was hovering near the ceiling, assuring him that no one was going to lock him in the cage again.  He sent the other avengers out of the workshop to go and get cleaned up as most had been covered in foam.   Now he was checking Tony’s wound to make sure he had not pulled any stitches, the repulsor boots had been removed as well, the weight of them had made his legs hurt and his poor paw was feeling particularly sore.

 

“Tony what am I going to do with you? Every time I leave you alone something happens, l know that it was not your fault this time and I am really impressed though not surprised that you made the boots and figured out how to communicate with Jarvis but l still worry and do not want anything else to happen to you.  I think it would be safer if you just stayed with me all the time even if I have to take you into work, Fury will just have to deal with it.”

 

Tony tapped on the keyboard,

 

THANKS PHIL THAT WOULD BE GREAT, I KNOW THE OTHERS MEAN WELL BUT THEY KEEP FORGETTING THAT I AM NOT REALLY A CAT.  I DON’T FEEL SAFE WHEN YOUR NOT AROUND AND I AM JUST SO TIRED OF ALL THIS, EVERYTHING IS SO MUCH MORE DIFFICULT TO DEAL WITH  I REALLY MISS BEING IRON MAN AND I EVEN MISS YOU CHASING ME UP TO FILL IN MISSION PAPER WORK!

 

Phil pulled Tony to him and hugged him close kissing the top of his head and stroking his back, Tony snuggled into his chest and started to purr. Each had the same thought that it would be so much better if Tony was back in his normal form.

 

Tony recovered over the next few days but still preferred it when Phil carried him everywhere, either in his arms or draped over his shoulders.  When they moved up to the Helicarrier no other Shield Agent laughed at the site of Agent Coulson carrying around a cat after he tasered the first one who thought I was funny.

 

Life carried on the Avengers went on missions, Fury shouted at them in the debriefing meetings afterwards and Phil was inundated with paperwork as a result of it all.  War Machine replaced Iron Man when needed.  Tony had been upset by this at first but understood the reasons for it still it did not stop him from sleeping on Rhodey’s dress uniform and leaving fur all over it. If anyone else but the Avengers tried to pet him or pick him up Tony would find out where their living quarters were and many an agent found a hacked up fur ball in their shoes.

 

Jarvis had fully infiltrated the Helicarrier systems much to Fury’s anger, so Tony had a means of communicating through his holographic keyboard and Jarvis could keep track of Tony if he decided to go off roaming round the Helicarrier when he got bored.  Most of the time Tony stayed in Phil’s office with him but occasionally he felt the need to let off some pent up energy, it was too dangerous for him to run around the corridors and the gym was off limits after near disastrous attempt at running on the treadmill.  It was Clint who surprisingly came up with the solution and Kitty Tag in the ceiling vents came into being.

 

Tony would have a five minute head start and then Clint would chase after him, Tony’s speed was off set by Clint’s knowledge of the layout of the crawl spaces of the Helicarrier.  At first Tony often found himself running into dead ends and quickly being caught by Clint, it was also frustratingly difficult to find Clint as he moved silently through the ceiling.  Both had agreed that Jarvis was not to be asked for any help and once Natasha joined in the game it became even more difficult.  Steve was too big to fit in the crawl spaces and Bruce did not want to take the chance that he might Hulk out.

 

Tony was just sneaking up behind Clint when there was a loud rumble of thunder and the whole Helicarrier shook, Thor had returned!

 

“Greetings fellow Avengers I have returned from my quest with good tidings!”


	14. Magic and Potions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The end of the tail!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long delay family life got very hectic, still everyone is fine now and my youngest daughter's prom went great she looked beautiful in her dress.
> 
> Thank you to everyone who has read, left comments or kudos. I hope you have all enjoyed this story.
> 
> I wish the Avengers belonged to me especially Tony but they don't, only in my dreams.

 

The Avengers gathered in the main conference room to here Thor’s news, Tony paced restlessly up and down the length of the table desperate to know if Thor had been able to find Loki and a cure.  Thor though was in the middle of eating his way through a huge plate of Pop Tarts having greatly missed them on his time away from Midgard, he had said.

 

Phil could see that Tony was getting more and more agitated and tried to make a grab for Tony as he stalked past but he was not fast enough, everyone looked at Tony who had now reached Thor’s place at the table and sat down in front of the plate of Pop Tarts.  Thor beamed happily at Tony unaware of the danger he was in.

 

Tony raised his paw and swatted the Pop Tart out of Thor’s hand it flew across the table landing on Steve’s chest leaving a smear of strawberry filling down the front of his white t-shirt.  Tony then proceeded to sneeze over the ones left on the plate and just to make sure they were totally inedible hacked up a small fur ball and left it sitting in the middle of the plate a faint smell of tuna wafting off it.

 

Poor Thor looked as though he was going to cry, Tony just glared at him daring him to do anything else but what Tony wanted.  The God of Thunder was the first to look away he reached into a leather pouch on his belt and produced a small glass bottle, placing it on the table in front of Tony.

 

“My apologies Cat of Iron for the length of time it has taken to find Loki and persuade him to cast a spell to cure your affliction.   This potion once drunk will reverse the spell and should leave you with no lasting side effects although having spent such a length of time in this form some cat like behaviour may linger for a while.”

 

Six Months Later.

 

Phil entered his bedroom looking over towards his bed Tony was still curled up asleep in the middle of the bed a sheet covering the lower half of his body a faint purring sound could be heard coming from his mouth.   Phil climbed into the bed and pulled Tony towards him, Tony grumbled quietly but soon snuggled in close his tail curling round Phil’s middle. 

 

Phil smiled and kissed him.

 

The end.

 

 

 

 


End file.
